Wilderness.org - urban youthhttp://wilderness.org/taxonomy/term/2285
enYouth to Wilderness – the adventures of ant-eaters and stone-skippershttp://wilderness.org/blog/youth-wilderness-%E2%80%93-adventures-ant-eaters-and-stone-skippers
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Sep 13, 2011</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/bios/staff/neil-shader">Neil Shader</a></div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/legacy/profiler/100_2581.JPG?itok=67uHRtdN" alt="Neil Shader" title="Hiking the Appalachian Trail" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Hiking the Appalachian Trail</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Neil Shader</p>
</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>
&ldquo;Can we go now?&rdquo;</p>
<p>
There aren&rsquo;t many repeated phrases that can really make a guy smile, but this one &ndash; said several times by eager youngsters ready to get their boots on the trail &ndash; had me grinning from ear to ear.</p>
<p>
&ldquo;Can we go now?&rdquo;</p>
<p>
This is the second time I&rsquo;ve gone out with kids and counselors from the YMCA&rsquo;s Camp Letts on the Appalachian Trail, and the third time that TWS has partnered with The Y to get some kids out into the woods.&nbsp; This trip brought five kids from the camp &ndash; Aster, Max, Chris, Marley, and Dwayne &ldquo;the Sandman.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
This group was ready and raring to go &ndash; which was a bit of a surprise, as not one of them had ever spent a night out in the woods.&nbsp; We started at Gathland State Park, near Frederick Maryland, and met up with two more kids and from Camp Letts, along with a pair of counselors, Trev and Ariel, who had been out on the trail for two days already.</p>
<p>
We didn&rsquo;t have far to go to get our destination &ndash; the Edward Garvey shelter &ndash; and the brief rainstorm that greeted us at Gathland had given way to diminishing clouds and bluebird skies.&nbsp; As sunbeams filtered through the trees, we hiked along the ridgeline, the sounds of the kids laughing and talking echoing through the trees.&nbsp; We made a few stops to make sure that nobody had any foot issues (better to catch them early than to wait for a blister) and climb on some rocks that offered a narrow view of the farms in the valley below.</p>
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<strong>New Friends, New Names</strong></p>
<p>
In Appalachian Trail tradition, some of the kids were assigning themselves trail names &ndash; monikers that they&rsquo;d call each other as we hiked.&nbsp; Aster, an energetic 14 year old, quickly became &ldquo;Cheetah girl&rdquo; after she climbed into a tree and laid down on one of the branches, like a cheetah on the Serengeti.&nbsp; The kids from the longer hike also took names &ndash; Alec became &ldquo;Daddy long-legs&rdquo; for his long stride, and Jasmine became &ldquo;Pacemaker&rdquo; for her quick feet.&nbsp; Aster decided that my trail should clearly be &ldquo;Nature Dude,&rdquo; since that was what she had been calling me all afternoon anyways.&nbsp; Dwayne &ldquo;the Sandman&rdquo; decided that his nickname was good enough as it was, and left well enough alone.</p>
<p>
Spending time talking with the kids as they experience nature &ndash; many of them in an entirely new, completely submerged way &ndash; is both a rewarding experience for me, and the point of The Wilderness Society&rsquo;s partnership with The Y and Camp Letts.&nbsp; Now in its second year, the Y2W (or Youth to Wilderness) partnership has sponsored an even dozen kids to get out on the Appalachian Trail to experience the great outdoors and to learn about themselves and their relationship to world.&nbsp; Most of the kids on the trip come from urban areas, where trees are found planted singly along the sidewalk, and wildlife comes in the form of rats scurrying down alleyways and pigeons pecking crumbs from the sidewalk.&nbsp; While the wildlife viewing on the trail isn&rsquo;t spectacular (at least, not with more than a half dozen teenagers alerting everything in a 2-mile radius to our presence), there are still more birds, chipmunks, squirrels, and the occasional deer there than they find at home.&nbsp; All of this adds up to an experience that they can take with them for the rest of their lives, and will encourage them to seek out more opportunities to get out into the natural world.</p>
<p>
<strong>And A New Diet Fad</strong></p>
<p>
After getting to the shelter we went about getting dinner ready &ndash; which meant first getting water from the spring far down below the campground, and starting the fire to cook it with.&nbsp; Neither task was easy &ndash; the spring was almost a half a mile down a steep slope, and carrying full water bottles back up was hardly anyone&rsquo;s idea of a good time.&nbsp; The fire-making had its own difficulties, since the rain from the previous two days had given a thorough soaking to most of the twigs and branches.&nbsp; But after a few false starts (and maybe a little cheating with the application of some kerosene soaked cotton balls), there was a crackling fire slowly cooking a dinner of red beans and rice.</p>
<p>
In the meantime, while the fire was mostly a pile of smoldering twigs, a few of the more intrepid campers found a different food source: ants.</p>
<p>
After watching Trev the Counselor pluck a large black ant with a lightly colored and purportedly sweet tasting abdomen from the dinner table, pop off the light tail-piece, and pop it in his mouth, both Dwayne and Aster were scrambling around the campground looking for the elusive &ldquo;sugar ant.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
&ldquo;You guys!&rdquo; yelled Aster to the rest of the group, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m gonna eat an ant!&rdquo;</p>
<p>
The search did prove fruitful (antful?), and soon both Aster and Dwayne were nervously plucking the small round abdomens off of their own ants.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&ldquo;Tastes sour,&rdquo; said Dwayne, losing his previous enthusiasm for the natural sweets.&nbsp; Aster agreed, and the rest of us were content for our more traditional fare.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&ldquo;So much for the new diet fad,&rdquo; said Trev. &ldquo;Only eating things that eat dirt.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
After dinner, as the fire and sunlight both died down, a much more welcome treat came out: marshmallows.&nbsp; Gathered around the campfire, the kids roasted (and occasionally burned) marshmallows, and began sharing their favorite campfire stories.&nbsp; I shared my personal favorite &ndash; and one my dad always recited when I went camping &ndash; the classic Robert Service ballad &ldquo;The Cremation of Sam McGee.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<strong>From the Peak to the Valley</strong></p>
<p>
The next morning, after packing up, we headed back out on the trail. It was going to be a pretty easy day &ndash; mostly downhill, and the weather couldn&rsquo;t have been better, with clear skies and bright sunshine streaming through the trees.</p>
<p>
Stopping at the popular Weverton Cliffs, we got our first view of the Potomac River and of sleepy Harper&rsquo;s Ferry just a few miles upstream from our overlook.&nbsp; Most of the kids had never seen a view like the one from the cliffs, and spent nearly half an hour crawling to the edge to peer down the mountainside or get a better look at the river crawling lazily past.&nbsp; A few of them were shocked &ndash; shocked! &ndash; that in just a few short miles we would be walking alongside the very river that from the cliffs looked so far away.</p>
<p>
We watched some vultures glide along the ridgeline at eye-level and took the obligatory photos along the cliffs before setting off down the trail. The steep switchbacks proved no problem, and soon we were down the hillside and along the C&amp;O canal towpath along the Potomac, our last stretch before getting to Harper&rsquo;s Ferry.</p>
<p>
The path afforded a few good opportunities to test the time-honored skill of stone skipping, and soon the whole crew was scouting the banks for that perfectly round, flat skipping stone.&nbsp; There were more than a few &ldquo;ker-PLUNKs&rdquo; of the less aerodynamic rocks, but also a fair number that skipped four, five, even as many as eight times before dropping below the water&rsquo;s surface.</p>
<p>
Shouldering our packs one last time, we returned to the trail, and headed upstream towards the historic town.&nbsp; The end of the trip was pretty uneventful &ndash; a few grumbles about the lack of lunch, and some sore feet &ndash; but everyone was excited and in good spirits as we crossed the bridge into town.&nbsp; A passerby saw our packs and asked &ldquo;what&rsquo;s back that way?&rdquo; gesturing to the way we had just come.</p>
<p>
&ldquo;The Appalachian Trail,&rdquo; one of the kids replied. &ldquo;We just hiked it.&rdquo;<br />
&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div>Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:07:37 +0000106248 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/youth-wilderness-%E2%80%93-adventures-ant-eaters-and-stone-skippers#commentsAdministration Officials listen to Berkeley youth on America’s Great Outdoorshttp://wilderness.org/blog/administration-officials-listen-berkeley-youth-america%E2%80%99s-great-outdoors
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jul 26, 2010</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/legacy/profiler/8.9.2010%20-%20PHOTO%20-%20Berekeley%20Listening%20Session.jpg?itok=zBhfCz_N" alt="" title="Young people at Berkeley America’s Great Outdoors listening session discuss conservation. Photo by Jennifer Boggs. " /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Young people at Berkeley America’s Great Outdoors listening session discuss conservation. Photo by Jennifer Boggs.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>On July 23, federal officials heard an earful from about 125 teens and young adults - 16 to 25 years old &ndash; who participated in an <em>America&rsquo;s Great Outdoors </em>listening session in Berkeley, CA. It was clear they wanted to have their opinions heard: some traveled from as far away as Sacramento and San Jose to attend the Friday afternoon session.</p>
<p>For two hours, the participants broke into small groups of ten to talk about the outdoors. </p>
<p> The official questions posed by group moderators ranged from: &ldquo;Why do you like to be in the great outdoors?&rdquo; to &ldquo;What do you want to recommend to the Obama administration to further the goals of America&rsquo;s Great Outdoors?&rdquo;</p>
<p>Many youth - especially those from low-income urban families who traditionally don&rsquo;t get to experience nature &ndash; gave answers that were both honest and practical. One San Francisco teen made this clear when he jokingly quipped, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m tired of Disneyland being the only Happiest Place on Earth.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Several teens said much more needs to be done to educate young people about the outdoors and recreation because many just don&rsquo;t have a connection with nature, Some of the very practical suggestions I heard included: <br /> 1) utilize media and advertising to spread the word about the great outdoors, <br /> 2) get kids outside through public school programs, and 3) promote access by public transportation to the outdoors from urban centers.</p>
<p>At the end of the listening session, I think both federal officials and young people learned a little bit more about the huge challenge &ndash; and immense responsibility &ndash; of protecting our country&rsquo;s beautiful lands.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s about a lot more than just getting kids engaged with nature to have fun outside. If we want to preserve our rivers and oceans, our forests and deserts, there is a crucial need to introduce young people who will love the outdoors enough to eventually act as stewards of nature for the next generation and those that follow.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: smaller;">Photo: Young people at Berkeley America&rsquo;s Great Outdoors listening session discuss conservation. Photo by Jennifer Boggs. </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:00:00 +0000103443 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/administration-officials-listen-berkeley-youth-america%E2%80%99s-great-outdoors#commentsHelp wildlands this Earth Day! Tip #8: Support programs that teach urban youthhttp://wilderness.org/blog/help-wildlands-earth-day-tip-8-support-programs-teach-urban-youth
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Apr 20, 2010</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/legacy/profiler/The-kids-from-BryantWayLearningCenter-listen-as-Lost-River-Caves-AnnieHolt-explains-how-caterpillars-turn-into-butterflies-SusanHarper.jpg?itok=FJEj_2JF" alt="" title="The kids from Bryant Way Learning Center listen as Lost River Cave’s Annie Holt explains how caterpillars turn into butterflies." /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The kids from Bryant Way Learning Center listen as Lost River Cave’s Annie Holt explains how caterpillars turn into butterflies.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p><em>From now until Earth Day, we invite you to read our daily staff tips on how you can make a difference for wildlands.</em></p>
<hr />
<p>My Earth Day tip is not just advice, it is a challenge: Get kids without backyards into nature.</p>
<p>I mean, submerge them in it; take them away from the blacktops of parking lots, and show them a place where they can&rsquo;t see the sky because of all the trees.</p>
<p>Last summer, I was giving tours at Lost River Cave and Valley in Bowling Green Kentucky when I realized how crucial this tip is. A group of kids from the grant-funded afterschool program called Bryant Way Learning Center came to the valley for a rare afternoon field trip. Rare because they have little funding to go anywhere, according to Susan Harper, the site supervisor.</p>
<blockquote><h3>Previous Tips</h3>
<p><strong>Tip 1:</strong> <a href="earth-day-tip-1">Speak up for our nation's forests.</a></p>
<p><strong>Tip 2:</strong> <a href="earth-day-tip-2">Leave no trace when visiting your favorite places</a></p>
<p><strong>Tip 3:</strong> <a href="earth-day-tip-3">How to weigh in on conservation decisions</a></p>
<p><strong>Tip 4:</strong> <a href="earth-day-tip-4">Connect kids with nature</a></p>
<p><strong>Tip 5:</strong> <a href="earth-day-tip-5">Leave no canine trace</a></p>
<p><strong>Tip 6: </strong><a href="earth-day-tip-6">Volunteer on the land</a></p>
<p><strong>Tip 7:</strong> <a href="earth-day-tip-7">Become a citizen scientist</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Atypical to our usual group/family tourists, these kids were elementary school children living in low-income apartments. <strong>Harper told me that their experience with nature is usually on cement and a little bit of grass. </strong></p>
<p>The kids already started asking questions before we got to the trail. I showed them the cave system and how the underground river worked, and my colleague showed the students how to release butterflies in the valley&rsquo;s butterfly habitat. The kids were excited, but I was surprised when I realized that some of the students were afraid of the butterflies! I&rsquo;ll never forget Tianna, a lanky girl with glasses who was determined not to go near the butterflies. She stood by the door and cautiously looked on &ndash; I wondered if she&rsquo;d ever seen one before.</p>
<p>I realized how vital it was for children to have experiences like this watching Tianna. Once is not enough. They had the interest and the intrigue, but fear and uncertainty also played a role. A half day field trip was probably not going to be enough to instill wilderness values in these kids. </p>
<p> Harper and her co-worker also were surprised at the kids&rsquo; positive and curious reaction to nature. She told me that the children were clearly intrigued at the incredibly different surrounding. The kids were ready to return to the cave the very next day, and they still ask her when they are going back.</p>
<p> This summer, getting those kids into nature is a high on Harper&rsquo;s priority list, but funding, even to get gas to take them a couple of miles away is limited. And I know that there are hundreds of thousands of kids just like the ones Harper works with everywhere in America. They are the future, and this is the challenge.</p>
<p>To personally get more involved with getting kids like those at Bryant way outdoors, take a look around your local community. <strong>After school and summer day-camp programs are everywhere, and they can use everything from funding to volunteers.</strong> It never hurts just to send an email or make a call to plant ideas about getting these kids to the nearest nature trail.</p>
<p>There are also organizations that are working on doing this as well. <a href="http://www.keepingitwild.org" target="_blank">Learn what The Wilderness Society&rsquo;s Frank Peterman is doing</a> to get the people of Georgia outdoors, or check out <a href="http://www.childrensnatureinstitute.org/aboutus/" target="_blank">this source for bringing kids into nature</a>.</p>
<p><img height="75" width="75" src="/sites/default/files/legacy/userfiles/morris.jpg" alt="Alex Morris" />&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>- <em><a href="/about-us/experts/alex-morris"><strong>Alexandra Morris</strong></a>, Communications Intern, Washington, D.C. </em></p>
<p><em>&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;<br /> </em></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: smaller;">photo:</span></strong><span style="font-size: smaller;"> The kids from Bryant Way Learning Center listen as Lost River Cave&rsquo;s Annie Holt explains how caterpillars turn into butterflies. Photo by Susan Harper. </span></p>
</div></div></div>Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:58:30 +0000103136 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/help-wildlands-earth-day-tip-8-support-programs-teach-urban-youth#comments